Shadows and Light
by wordbearer
Summary: We all know Raven was born in Azarath. Why did she leave and how did she end up with the Titans? Finished
1. Shadows and Light

Okay, here I go again... Anyone ever wonder why Raven, an individual concerned with controlling her abilities with a seeming obsession, would leave the one place best suited to her needs, Azarath? There are multiple rumors floating around in fanfiction land: mission, banishment, influencse of her diabolic father, etc... Here's my spin (straight from the doom and gloom camp of fanfic theory) and I hope you enjoy. Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans in any way shape or form. (Same goes for any cameo appearances by literary fantasy worlds mentioned. I'm covering my bases here.) That honor belongs to someone at Cartoon Network and I have no intention of challenging that person! I don't seek to make a profit from this and hope this doesn't get me sued... Please enjoy.

Shadows and Light

By Wordbearer

The old women in white robes paused as she caught sight of the young girl quietly meditating in the next room. Shrouded by a blue cloak as she hovered in the air, the girl's lips moved to a silent mantra. Her frail-seeming, petite frame was drowned in the heavy fabric. A black aura blazed around her, forming a contrast with the girl's grey skin. Azar, high priestess of Azarath, sighed as she entered. "Such a soft vessel for such a deadly puzzle. What chaos this child has wrought by the mere fact of her existence."

Just this morning, as she was preparing for the rite which would occur later this day, she had been confronted by the Grandmaster Tobias of the Temple Guardians. The black and silver armored warrior had shouted, "Why do you persist in this madness? The half-breed is a threat, her mere existence a beacon to her daemonic sire! To grant her that which you seek to give her is to doom us all!"

Calmly Azar responded, "The girl has passed all the trials, all the purity tests. Her power dwarfs my own and..."

Tobias cut her off with a rude gesture, "By the Phoenix King; that is the problem! Her power flows from her tainted blood and she can do naught but bring destruction."

Sternly now, Azar censured her interrogator, "Grandmaster, I would remind you not to blaspheme in my presence. Your rank gives you certain liberties, but we are in the presence of the God." Tobias genuflected in the direction of the shrine at the other end of room as Azar continued, "Raven has passed the tests, and she will serve well. Make no mistake, I have overseen her training myself and have complete faith in her abilities."

Azar came out of the flashback and entered Raven's cell, waiting patiently as the 16 year-old settled to the ground and straightened with ceremonial precision. Raven opened her eyes. The azure pupils were tinged with a tension that must have been strumming through her body like a lightning bolt, yet none of it reached her face or visibly disturbed her composure. It was like Azar faced a younger version of herself, and this thought saddened her. "Such discipline for one so young. She has been denied everything that makes life worth living for the good of herself and the rest of this world, but I wish there was another way. My Raven, I pity you, even as I push you on this path."

Shaking her head the gray haired priestess spoke, "It is time. Nothing must go wrong today, my child. To fail today means everything will have been for nothing. Everything must stay in its place." Raven nodded tightly and pulled her hood further over her face in a gesture of nervousness that communicated volumes more than it should have. Azar was fully aware of her protégé's strain and tightly gripped the half-breed's shoulder with one wrinkled hand. Raven's eyes darted at the uncharacteristic gesture of closeness and loosed a relieved smile.

Hating herself, Azar glared sternly at the shorter girl and admonished, "Everything in its place. Nothing can slip today." The look of happiness was swallowed by an emotionless mask and it pained the elder to see such joy pruned.

Straightening as much as she could, Azar said, "Its time to go. We are expected shortly." Azar turned and she heard Raven follow.

They were greeted by a quartet of black-robed monks who took flanking positions around them. The monks tapped out time on the black marble tiles with oaken staves as they walked. Passing out of the cloisters, Azar could see the ebony walls with their precious mosaics by the light of brazen lanterns. She savored the heavy odor of incense that permeated the wide hall. Plainsong echoed though the halls as vespers marked out the hours. The high priestess ignored the gestures of respect with frigid dignity becoming her station, fully aware that the ritual motions of respect turned to whispered curses as soon as the watchers caught sight of the grey-skinned youth behind her. She was proud to note that Raven didn't seem to react to the maledictions, her control steadying her pace. The crowds thickened as they crossed into a main corridor, a rank of Temple Guardians closing shut behind them. This was the public section of the temple, the part that had to overawe outsiders with the power of the Phoenix King's temple. Gold tapestries hung from the walls and richly embroidered carpets turned the floor into a mosaic of bright colors. The black and silver armored silhouettes of more Guardians could be seen around every pillar, the paladins of the temple having turned out in force on this day, clutching ornate halberds. The sextet slowed as they neared their destination, the Sanctum Sanctorum of this temple. Peacock clad nobles hurried under an archway dominated by a huge, golden statute of a raptor with long trailing tail feathers. This was the chief icon of the Phoenix King, and Azar looked it straight in its silver eye as Raven and the monks dropped to their knees and performed a heartfelt absolution. Azar shivered as she felt the heavy alien presence of her God caress her mind like a rough embrace. Ever since she had attained the rank of high priestess, she had known that the God was alive and interested in Azarath's affairs. She could feel the same kind of fearful faith in Raven, and knew that this rite would not remove that fear.

The room beyond the arch was filled with waiting bodies clad in the styles of Azarath's elite: the clashing colors of the nobility, the grim black of Temple-Guardian leadership, and the pale robes of the clergy. A platform dominated one end of the room, a simple wooden altar adorning the stage-like surface. A central aisle remained clear and Azar moved up it with marked deliberateness, rice crunching under her sandals. As the high priestess made her way up to the altar, she heard Raven and her retinue of monks kneel near the doorway. Behind the altar, Azar turned toward the congregation, the very act a benediction as she began to recite the psalm that would initiate this rite. "Blessed be the people in the eyes of our God. He watches over us and protects us, His blazing wings searing the fell spirits of the Outer Dark if they move against us."

The refrain was low and solemn, "His vigilance is all-encompassing and forever; we are sacred in His eyes." Azar held out her arms, revealing a pair of blazing rings on her upper arms. Carved in bone and inlaid with bronze, they glowed with arcane light.

"We gather in this most sacred place to pass a burden, to insure that He continues to commune with us in His divine protectiveness." The congregation was silent as Azar crossed her arms and gripped the rings tightly, allowing the power of the Phoenix King to arch through her flesh in an iridescent wave. Azar shivered as the golden energy coursed through her veins and held herself still only through great focus. The strain she felt made her feel more certain that she was doing the right thing...

Letting her hands drop to her sides, Azar continued, "He gave us the gift of these rings as a symbol of His trust, to allow Him egress into our world. The strongest female must bare this burden, to be His voice, to guide His protectorate when divine necessity draws Him far from our midst."

The high priestess locked her pale blue eyes onto Raven for an endless second and the half-breed met her mentor's gaze with seeming calm before bowing her head once more. Azar swept her gaze over the mass of participants and spoke in a firm tone, "Our God also bids each chosen one to surrender her post to a successor when she feels her flesh begin to wither and her soul long for the embrace of the Peerless Harvester. It is long since time for me to pass this burden onto younger shoulders, for a unique child in our midst gave me reason to delay my passing. This child has borne hardship beyond human tolerance and faced unnamed trials without number. Her own flesh would guide her into damnation, yet she has resisted the manifold temptations of excess. This child has darkling seeds in her spirit, yet she has risen above them to embrace His light as if it were her own. I have chosen my successor, a strong soul who will bear the weight of our God's gaze with stoicism and tolerance. Acolyte Raven, child of Arella Roth and He We Keep Bound In Shadow, rise and prepare to receive a burdensome gift." Raven rose in a whisper of cloth on rice, her legs bruised by the hard grains. She was silent, her face carefully schooled. The congregation shuffled and gave each other sidelong looks. They had heard rumors, but none had believed that Azar would truly give this honor to the blasphemous outsider in their midst. Raven walked up the aisle, her eyes locked on the altar as she had been taught.

Azar nodded in quiet pride, and then sternly inquired, "Have you passed the trials and proven yourself strong in body?"

The monotone response came with ceremonial formality, "I have proven my flesh to be a worthy temple of His spirit."

"Have you passed the tests of purity, that you may not betray His trust in a moment of weakness?"

"My soul is untarnished silver amid the acid winds of the world."

"Do you accept the burden this duty requires: to speak for the God, to protect His flock, to act as the anchor for our faith in a deadly world?"

Raven paused and answered, "I devote myself to this faith, to this God, and my fate to His word."

Azar straightened, "Then speak the Name of our God and know that He knows your heart and expects eternal faith to your duty, no matter what trials may afflict you." Azar watched as the half-breed dropped to her knees and whispered the Sacred Name that that must not be spoken aloud by the unannointed.

A whisper slipped past grey lips, "Phoenix King, creator and destroyer of eternity." The air grew thick and heavy in Azar's lungs and the way Raven's voice momentarily quavered communicated all that Azar needed to know. Drawn by the recitation of His name in the Sanctum Sanctorum of His most important temple, the Phoenix King explored Raven's mind with numbing force. One's first brush with the divine was never easy, but Azar knew they must finish the ritual while the God's eye was drawn to Raven. Grimacing against the pain that rippled through her being, Azar gripped one of the rings and pulled it off her arm. The high priestess placed the ring on the altar. Her vision fluxed and it took all of her discipline to pull the other ring from her body. Lightning arched between her flesh and the relic as she released her grip on it. Azar felt something ineffable lift from her shoulders as she backed away from the altar, profoundly drained. The Phoenix King was gone from her mind. She gathered the dregs of her energy as Raven rose to her feet, a distant look on her face.

Azar intoned, "Take up these rings and become the avatar of our God." Her protégé trembled with her arm extended over the altar.

Azar relaxed, her part of the ritual complete, and thought, "Raven will have a place here after this, even when I pass on. With the God present in the half-breed's mind, her father will never be able..." Azar snapped out of her trance as Raven crumbled to the ground. The half-breed rose to her feet before the older woman could respond, a feral smirk on her lips. Raven's aura flared up and out.

As the congregation recoiled from this display of power, Azar called out harshly, "Everything in its place, Raven! This is sacred ground and now is not the time for such lapses."

Raven mockingly smirked as she replied, "I had hoped that you would recognize me. You have always been stubborn, but never stupid. I have come to claim my daughter..." Raven laughed and ebony tendrils of power lashed out at the walls. Horror filled Azar's eyes as she realized what was going on. She drew herself upright and sternly hardened her features as she met Trigon the Terrible's borrowed eyes.

"You cannot remain here, daemon. You cannot claim the Phoenix King's prize."

Dark amusement flickered in the girl's azure eyes as Trigon examined Raven's fingers with every sign of great interest, "I see no brand, no soul mark on this vessel. Not even the petty trinkets you call talismans of faith..." The high priestess's gaze darted over to the altar where the rings that would have linked Raven to the God remained untouched. She took up a combat position as she began to gather her depleted energies. The protestations of her joints reminded her that she was no youth fresh from the Guardian trials.

"I think that you will find me not so easy a mark as you think, especially on sacred ground." Inside Azar was weeping. Why now? Why now of all times when she had been so close?

Trigon spoke, "Even gods can be distracted, human. I had to sacrifice several Hosts of minions and a triad of greater daemons to draw the blinkered gaze of your bird-brained divinity from here, but it will be enough. Be silent." With that, the ageless daemon lord wearing a girl's flesh gestured and pinned Azar to the wall on an ebony spear. Azar slipped to the ground as the spear flickered out of existence, blood streaming from her shoulder. She watched in shock as Trigon turned toward the crowd as it milled in confusion, some seeking to flee, others to close and fight.

Her vision graying, Azar whispered, "My Raven. I'm sorry. I didn't want this to happen. I wanted you to be safe, my Raven..." Darkness swept her vision.

Raven heard her mentor's last words as if they were muffled by great distance. She was trapped in a corner of her mind, fighting blindly against the black influence of her father's presence. The sound echoed weirdly, magnified and warped out of scale. She felt Trigon twist her lips in pleasure as Azar jolted backward and hit the floor, blood staining her robes. She helplessly watched as Trigon used her body and her powers to slay all those who would face him. Grandmaster Tobias rushed the altar, righteous fury twisting his face. Tobias shouted psalms as he came, clutching a wooden stave as his only weapon. Raven did not like Tobias. He had cursed her every chance he got, and had made her combat training a living hell.

Still she prayed, "Grant him the strength to kill me and end this torment. Allow him to end this slaughter. My death is nothing in the face of..." Her prayer faltered as Tobias was batted to one side by a glowing tile. Tobias looked up in time to see the mass of black energy daggers summoned by her father to take out his face in a hail of death. Raven could do not look away nor spare the warrior his torment. She was an observer in her own body, trapped and helpless. Trigon's malevolent joy flooded her mind.

"This is how it was meant to be, daughter. You should be fighting at my side, a glorious agent of death and destruction. This manipulation is distasteful to me. If you would stop fighting me and embrace your heritage, I would allow you to direct this slaughter. Surely these zealots have taught you some interesting tricks..." Trigon continued to fight even as he lectured at his daughter, putting her powers to sickening uses against her will. A man exploded from the inside out, a bubble of black energy emerging from his ruined flesh. Red-eyed birds, emissaries of Trigon's vengeance drawn from the Abyss by Raven's power, pecked at twitching bodies. Half a dozen people were crushed into a sphere three feet wide, the grisly orb hitting the ground with a fleshy smack as it slowly unraveled. Spiraling blades of pitch-black energy lopped heads from necks or arms from shoulders in an orgiastic display of power.

Raven tried to shut out the madness, her grief causing her mind to shut down. "No, no, no, no, no..." She chanted a chorus of denial as her body moved in thrall to another's will. Flash. Screams. Flash. Red flesh glistening in the torchlight. Flash. Plunging her glowing fist into a victim's chest. Flash. A heart beating in her hand as it trickled blood from jutting arteries. Flash. The heady scent of blood pushing her into frenzy. Flash. Her father's voice promising more of the same, unto the end of time...

Raven reached out with her will and grabbed the root of her mind, "No, Father! This will cease! I will not be your puppet or your slave!" Trigon's mental cry of shock was echoed on her lips as she dropped to her knees. The blue cloak, soaked with blood and bile, spread out beneath her as Raven fought in earnest to take back her mind from her sire. Daemonic raptors faded out of existence as the power they needed to survive withdrew.

Trigon roared, "Stop fighting me!"

Raven's silent response was cold and serious, "Never. This is my flesh and I will be the one to wield it." Raven was driven down through the effluvia of her memories by his counter attack and was all but drowning in the sensations, none of them good.

"Is this what you want, Raven?" Trigon's demand filled her ears as she saw a thousand and one images of contempt, hatred, and intolerance blur past her mind's eye.

"Do you refuse me? Reject my influence?"

Raven answered, "Always, yes. Always. I will not be a mindless destroyer." Blind, deaf, and aware of nothing but her father's mental fist at the base of her soul, she awaited oblivion.

To her surprise, Trigon chuckled and withdrew from her mind. "Keep that in mind for when we next meet. I will see how you feel then. The people of Azarath will not be quick to forgive the half-daemon murderess of their high priestess. I'm sure you will have an entertaining tale to tell me..." Trigon's voice faded into meaningless noise and Raven knew she was alone in her head once more.

Raven pulled herself to a sitting position, trying not to look at the blood-strewn chamber. Putting her hand down to lever herself to her feet, she recoiled as it sank into a pile of shredded flesh. She scrambled to her feet in panic, her breath fast and light. Turning around, she caught sight of Azar's slumped corpse. Her mentor's robes were stained with blood and the frail flesh dreadfully limp. Raven's mind stopped working as she tried to comprehend the black horror that was engendered by that simple sight. Blobs of black energy drifted about the room as she stared at nothing, lost in shock and horror. A wracking cough alerted her to the fact that someone else had survived her rampage. She looked and saw the bloodied form of Grandmaster Tobias struggling to draw breath. The brawny warrior was horrifically wounded; his face a shredded mess of torn skin and exposed muscle. Tobias whispered something, but the words were made indecipherable by his ravaged lips. Raven carefully made her way over to him, operating on automatic impulses as she kneeled to tend his wounds. Tobia's blind eyes attempted to lock onto her location and failed.

He spoke again and this time Raven could hear him, "It's stopped. Did we slay the foul hybrid?"

Raven calmed herself and answered him, "The daemon is gone. Let me help you..."

Raven's hands glowed white, but Tobias recoiled from her and spoiled her fragile concentration, "You yet live, abomination? What justice is there in this world when those who do evil survive their villainy?"

He broke down into painful coughing, and Raven asked him again, "Let me help you..."

The Grandmaster spat bloody phlegm in the half-breed's general direction, "ha ha haaaa... I would sooner die then take any of your help. You brought this doom upon us and can do nothing but worsen it. If your sire can possess you here, in our most holy of shrines; there is no place, he can't use you to slay in his foul name... Your death will be a mercy to the universe. You should have never been born, and never allowed to survive... I hope that they make it slooo..." Tobias's head rolled back as he lost consciousness. Raven got to her feet with ceremonial precision, the long monologue having allowed her to gather her discipline even as it planted venomous shards of remorse deep in her psyche. She stiffly pulled her hood over her head and schooled her face with fearsome self-control. She walked over the floor, ignoring the gore that stained her shoes as she made her way to Azar's body.

Her voice a cold monotone, Raven whispered, "I'm sorry. I have to go. He's right. I'm too dangerous... I have to leave. Go away, go very far away where I can never hurt anyone in this place again. I will keep everything in its place." Raven bent down and closed Azar's staring eyes.

She whispered a hymn to the dead, ingrained habit suppressing the loss that flowed though her being. "I call to the Grey Judge: to bring this soul home and to guide it swiftly through the fields of the Outer Darkness and into the light of our God's haven. I call to the Gatekeeper: to bar the ether against its faults and to let through that which made it good. I call to the Golden Hound: to protect the blessed dead from the predations of Outsiders and to nourish those whose lives had robbed them of hope. I call..."

The hymn was long and Raven lost herself in it, only stirring when the sound of steel clearing leather reached her ears. She looked up with cold eyes at the squad of Temple Guardians, "Do what you must. I'm sorry for what I've inflicted on you this day." She could see the confusion on the Guardian's face at what he sensed: the air thick with the afterstench of daemonic energy and the apparent source of the power crouching in front of the body of his high priestess in pious recitation of the funerary hymns. His confusion didn't last long, guardian training designed to weed out uncertainty in its participants. He rushed up the stairs with blinding speed, quick enough to bypass any defense Raven might muster. Instead, Raven vanished in a flash of black light; the last sight she glimpsed was the down-rushing sword of her would-be executioner. Her vision cleared to reveal her spartan cell. Raven pulled a sack from a shelf and grabbed what few possessions she felt she should take: a hand mirror, a few scrolls, and a white book. Her mind burning with cold logic, Raven settled into the lotus position.

Her grey forehead wrinkled in thought, "Where should I go? Nowhere on Azarath is safe. Midgard? Dominaria? Magamund? Narnia? Shannara? Those are all too mystically charged; He would find me too quickly... Earth might work. It is so far down the ethereal spectrum he would have trouble seeing me there... Yes." Her mind made up, Raven tied the sack to her waist and began to chant. She ignored the grief that urged her to break down with a ruthless stubbornness that would have horrified Azar herself if she were present to sense it. Everything was buried beneath a layer of numbness that allowed her to carry out the complex rite she was attempting. The energy pulsed in time to her breathing blooming outward as she continued to intone the phrases under her breath. A chill wind fluttered her cloak as black lightning lashed the walls. The power stabilized into a perfect sphere of darkness, only the white glow of Raven's eyes visible amid the intricately woven streams of her psychic might. The barriers between worlds grew thin and the arches of black lightning more violent. With a burst of deafening silence, Raven vanished. The room was empty, with only the ghosts of what might have been to haunt it.

So you made it through the minefields of my adjective-laden prose unscathed? What did you think? Good? Bad? Just plain cheesy? If you see fit, leave a review and tell me what you think... Thank you for your time.


	2. Revirbarations of an Exile

Does anyone have a 'works in progress' folder/ bottomless pit on their computer? I saw this chapter lying in mine and it needed finishing. Let's see if I still have the spark… I do not own Teen Titans in any way, shape, or form. That honor belongs to someone connected to cartoon network and I'm not challenging those people. I seek no profit from this and merely hope to avoid being sued… Please enjoy if possible.

Reverberations of an Exile

By Wordbearer

A blue-cloaked figure knelt shaking under a blazing Arizona sun. She ignored the blistering heat, the grit that clung to her grey flesh, and the wind that whistled mournfully through age-smoothed stone and tangled her enveloping cloak. A flickering sphere of darkness withered into nothing above the frail-seeming youth, its energies scattered to the four winds. Raven ignored everything around her, consumed with her own thoughts. The dark mystic suddenly looked up, dislodging her hood and revealing a heart-shaped face framed by purple hair. Raven's eyes were ablaze with a storm of emotions, emotions she no longer had the stamina or will to repress. She dropped to her knees as a tear trickled down her cheek and a sob forced its way past her unwilling lips. The richly tormented sound hinted at an ocean of grief begging release. Raven pulled her stained cloak about herself as she wept, seeking security from the misery that threatened to bury her alive. Tears flowed in unfamiliar trails while her eyes took in the desolate terrain.

Cruel memories played past her mind's eye as she whispered fervently to herself, "This is what I deserve. Azar is dead because of my weakness. I watched as the one person who dare see me as more than a deadly abomination died at my hands…" Raven stared through her tears at her gloved hands where obsidian blood was beginning to flake off as it dried. The sadness turned to anger and she swallowed tightly. Her black aura flared in all directions, fanned by her surging emotions, tearing at the rock.

A venomous whisper bled past her lips, "Curse you, father. You've banished me from everything I've ever known and left me with nothing." She crumbled inward and rested her forehead on her knees.

"Curse me for being weak enough to let you do it." Raven shuddered, uncaring of the destruction released by her unfiltered emotions.

Raven wallowed in her pain as the sun traversed across the mid-afternoon sky. The sand was blasted away in an irregular circle, leaving her sitting on barren rock amid a pulsing storm of darkness. The horizon was stained pink with the oncoming dusk when Raven paused, certain in the knowledge that she was no longer alone. She reined in her energies, the presence of an Outsider giving her the impetus to curb the coruscating energies. A commanding male voice spoke from behind her, his statement a series of discordant and nonsense vowels. Raven turned her head and glanced at the speaker with a brittle look of cool control on her face.

Passively hovering at the edge of her circle of destruction was an intimidating male figure. Tall and well built, he was clothed in blue and gold. A blue body glove was offset by ornaments of the most glaring shade of metallic gold. He was partially draped in a cape the same color that waved in the cold breeze. Most chilling however, was the helm that covered his features entirely, leaving only a pair of faintly glowing grey eyes to break the smooth facade. He spoke again in a far more stern tone, making Raven's face twist in irritation. She pulled herself to her feet with measured calm. At her lack of verbal response, the figure raised a glowing palm threateningly.

Outwardly ignoring the gesture, she replied calmly, "I don't understand a word you're saying."

This caused the helmed figure to pause. He gestured and Raven felt an enchantment settle around her, her mental wards completely bypassed by the gentle spell. She locked her gaze onto the figure, waiting for the enigmatic being to speak even as she quietly gathered her energy should she be forced to defend herself.

He spoke a third time and this time she understood his speech, "Forgive me, I did not realize that I was dealing with a daemoness who didn't know English. My spell will allow us to converse while we conclude our business. I am Dr. Fate, protector of this sector of the prime material plane and I am curious as to why an Azarathian daemon has entered my protectorate without forward notice." This cavalier statement angered the exhausted half-daemon, but Azar's training kept this from showing.

Fate's tone darkened as he continued, "Tell me your purpose here, or I will send you into the Abyss where your kind were spawned."

Raven kept her answer curt and controlled, "I mean no harm. I merely wish to be left alone in peace."

"I've heard that answer more often than I care to remember from your kind. Most of them proceeded to kill their way through the nearest population center in order to appease their hunger for death and destruction."

Raven boiled inside at this last comment, her aura igniting in a burst of black flame. Pain made her see red as Fate's comment resonated with many of her memories of Tobias and the other guardians who had made her life at the Great Temple a living hell. She would not take this from an unwashed Outsider born in a backwater, dirty little plane so far down on the ethereal spectrum it didn't even rate a full-time deity! Without thinking, Raven hurled a massive rock at the figure's chest. He was knocked to the ground, but arose quickly, none the worse for wear.

Pushing himself to his feet, Dr. Fate intoned, "I'll give you that one shot, daemon. You are unharmed as of yet at my sufferance, but I need answers if I am to let you wander loose." A polychrome aura surrounded his frame with a mere gesture, a burst of power not so much raised as previously masked. Even in her anger the dark mystic could sense the sheer magical brute force at her opponent's command.

The thought brought another consideration to her mind and she whispered to herself, "Why I am I doing this? I can't let my anger control me. I have to control my anger…" With this, she recalled her power and dropped to her knees, eyes downcast in demure submission.

"I apologize for my act of unthinking anger and my failure to acknowledge your station. This is your realm and you have every right to protect what is yours. I am an intruder and my nature is such to inspire suspicion. I submit myself to your will, trusting your fairness and wisdom." The elaborate oath of contrition acted to shore up her discipline and gave Dr. Fate pause, surprise brimming in his grey eyes.

He masked his power once more and tilted his head as he spoke, "You are no normal daemon. A true member of your kind would rather suffer a thousand years of torment than submit to another being. Tell me your name, nature, and purpose, and be prompt about it… If you lie to me or omit some truth you shall be banished before you have the chance to draw breath again." Raven frowned as she considered what she should tell Fate of her tormented history.

Azar's voice spoke in her head as she stared at the ground lost in thought, "Avoiding a situation will not change it. Reality is. You must deal with reality to make it better, child."

She took a shuddering breath before answering in a steely monotone, "My name is Raven of Azarath, a scion of Arella Roth and a daemonlord of the Abyss. I was raised in the Grand Temple of the Phoenix King, but was forced to flee to this plane in order to avoid my… Father's attentions. I merely wish to live free of his influence and hurt no one through inattention or malice." She dropped her mental screens as she spoke, allowing Dr. Fate to feel the truth of her statement if he had the gift to read thoughts.

Fate crossed his arms and intoned, "There is far more to your story than you have divulged to me, but I am inclined to believe your current stance of benevolence. If you promise to deal with me in good faith, I will allow you to remain here as a sanctioned inhabitant of my protectorate." Raven shivered under her cloak, mental and physical exhaustion combining to cut away at her endurance. The sudden act of charity stunned her to her core, for none in Azarath would so readily accept the presence of an Outsider, especially one so tainted as herself.

Mindful of Dr. Fate's waiting presence, she quickly recited a familiar oath, "I shall abide by the law of your realm. I shall abide by the will of its lord. I shall abide by the unspoken will of its sovereign god. I am nothing before the gaze of order and shall conform to its precepts."

Raven didn't notice the way the helmed figure's eyes tightened as she spoke or his whispered curse. "She is so young. What the Azarathians do to their children is inexcusable. No one this young should be so oath bound."

More clearly, he said, "I accept your oath and demand three answers of you before I grant you freedom to wander my realm." Raven's eyes flickered upward, concern bubbling in the depths of her pupils, for she could not lie or conceal the truth in any way if she were to hold true to her oath.

Swallowing nervously she answered, "I am bound to do as you ask."

This was no more than Fate expected as he inquired, "Do you know where you intend to rest this night?"

"No, I don't know this plane or its peoples." Fate's eyes darkened as he thought of the damage this weak-seeming girl could inflict on any ruffians who might think her an easy mark.

"Would you object to the chance of gaining such knowledge in a place of sanctuary for as long as you see the need to stay?" Confusion swirled on her face as she reflected.

Hesitantly Raven answered, "No, I do not."

Fate kneeled and looked her directly in the eye, "Will you accept the hospitality of my house and learn what you will of this world?" The dark mystic's grey-skinned face froze, no more expressive than his own featureless mask. The silence lengthened as the light faded, the sun slipping past the horizon. Dr. Fate could tell nothing of what she was thinking, the eerie passivity of her face fitting for a statue. She blinked and the suddenness of the movement was shocking.

She turned away and whispered, "How can you give sanctuary to one such as myself? I am worse than unworthy…"

Dr.Fate grew angry and grabbed the Raven's chin, forcing her to look at him.

He sternly said, "Whatever you have done can be forgiven; there is no act that will damn you forever in and of itself. Accept my offer of hospitality on the principle that you are far more dangerous in the outside world then you could ever be in my house if you can't accept charity offered for charity's sake." Raven tried to turn away as a black flame engulfed her body. Fate ignored the freezing lash of power and made her look him in the eye, trying to make her understand his earnestness. Anger simmered in the depths of her pupils as the half-daemon's psyche was battered by conflicting storms of shame, anger, and fear. Raven stumbled backwards, tangling her legs in her cloak. Fate followed her with his gaze as she pulled herself together.

"What is your answer? I will not force you to come with me," he repeated, his eyes challenging her to accept his offer. She didn't speak, all her thoughts focused within as she sought to harness the ravening shadow of her power. A cold breeze reminded them both that time was passing and Arizona winters were notoriously cold at night.

Raven spoke, "I'll go with you, but I will not be a risk or a burden to your home longer than a few days. I need only minimal aid to get along on my own in the world." Her voice was filled with an icy pride that trembled at the edge of control, her flesh trembling from the aftereffects of emotional turmoil and physical exhaustion. Dr.Fate accepted the answer for what it was and offered his hand to the sitting girl. Managing to lever herself to her feet with a semblance of dignity, she pulled her cloak tightly about her and looked up at him with a challenging look, angered by the masked figure's blunt approach. Fate shook his head slightly and gestured. A golden light flared on the ground and faded, taking the pair with it. The desert was empty save for the faint stirring of nocturnal life.

Raven and Dr.Fate reappeared in a crowded study, the glare of an anhk-shaped portal blinking out behind them. The room was lined with books and scrolls resting on ornate and oddly carved shelves. A series of lanterns gave a warm yellow light to the room and raised highlights from rich red furniture that was comfortably scattered across the room. Raven scanned the chamber with scant interest, her exhaustion making her numb to the affluence the room extruded. Of more immediate concern was the fact that she felt like dropping where she stood and it would not do to add that to the indignities Fate had witnessed this day. A door opened behind a pair of satin curtains and an ethereal black-haired woman entered, a serious and expectant look in her eye as she made her way over to Dr. Fate. She moved with fluid grace that matched her flowing dress.

The melodic voice rang as she exclaimed, "You're late. I trust that you have another interesting tale to tell me, one that explains why this girl is here?"

"Nothing serious, Inza. Raven is going to be our guest, for reasons that can be explained later, and I believe that it is only polite to offer her a seat at our table. She has had a long and grueling day by all accounts."

Inza rolled her eyes at Fate in a way that shocked Raven as she turned to the blue-clad teen, "We shall talk later, husband, about your habit of inviting guests on the spur of the moment. I trust that this one shall not try to kill us in our sleep… Forgive my rudeness, but he is incorrigible at times. You are welcome." Raven simply nodded and felt her stomach rumble in anticipation. Inza smiled faintly and directed the girl through an open door.

Raven blinked as she entered the dining room, overwhelmed by the array of foods spread out on the table before her. Temple fare was nothing like this seeming cornucopia of food: mashed potatoes, bread, some kind of roast meat, salad, and a bottle of purple fluid that looked suspiciously like the wines Azar had brought out whenever the nobility came visiting on business. Raven fought down the petty little voice that urged her to point out this was not fit fare for a guardian. She reminded herself that she was a guest and that these people were not bound by the same customs of Azarathian spiritual leaders. Raven was zoning out where she stood until a quiet cough got her attention.

Inza asked, "Would you like to sit down? Kent will be joining us shortly and he would not be happy knowing that I kept a hungry, half-asleep guest standing as he changed."

Raven blinked in confusion and asked, "Dr. Fate will not be joining us for dinner?" She was honestly curious, the sacredness of the communal meal an anchor of temple life and the concept of anyone missing it was vaguely alien to her.

A voice very much like Fate's, yet modulated differently chuckled behind the half-daemon. "I apologize for any possible confusion, Raven. Dr. Fate is the name I use in carrying out my duties in the outside world. Here you may refer to me as Kent Nelson." Raven turned around and caught sight of a tall, well built man in his late thirties with blond hair and grey eyes.

She recognized those eyes and whispered, "You are Dr. Fate."

He smiled bemusedly, "It is more complicated than that, but that is a story for another time. I am hungry and I imagine that you are as well."

Inza smirked at the exchange, "For once, you're speaking sense. Our guest is about to fall where she stands if the shaking of her knees is any indication." Too tired to protest any further, Raven went and took a seat in the unfamiliar chair as the pair of adults did the same. She tuned out the gentle babble of conversation and set into the meal, pushing her concerns aside for now.

So. You made it down here. Good, bad, the sequel that didn't need writing? Too wordy and repetitive? If you see fit, leave a review and tell me what you think. I promise the follow up chapter to this will be more prompt, not that that would be very hard… Thank you for your time.


	3. From Darkness Unto Light

Ave. This the third and final chapter to my 'Raven comes to Earth' story and it certainly took long enough in coming. If any of you forgot what happened before, entirely reasonable. Here's the K-mart version of the story so far. Trigon possessed Raven just as she was about to get promoted to High priestess of Azarath. He then used her to kill Azar and a bunch of notable Azarathians. Raven flees to Earth. She is met by Kent Nelson aka Doctor Fate, the supernatural border enforcer for the DC universe. He kindly invites her to his home and she accepts. We have quick intro to Fate's wife, Inza and fade to black. I've run on long enough, disclaimer and then story. I don't own Teen Titans in any way, shape, or form. That honor belongs to Cartoon Network and I'm not challenging them. The same applies to Doctor Fate and his DC owners. I seek no profit from this and merely hope to avoid being sued. If any of you are left, please enjoy.

From Darkness Unto Light

By Wordbearer

Raven's cloak snapped as she shot upward from the ground, the blade of a halberd biting into the soil seconds after her evasion. The wielder of the ornate weapon swung upwards, fiery runes blazing all over his weapon. He was a Grey Knight of Azarath, elite Temple-Guardian sworn to the destruction of the daemonic, a slayer of daemons and half-daemons. Raven put up a wall of black of energy to block the strike and grimaced as the blade drank in her power. She dodged backwards, keeping her eyes open for the man's companions. The dark mystic lashed out with a wave of force and threw him into a window. Another halberd lunged from behind and skewered her cloak. Raven teleported away to the top of a nearby building, desperate for some breathing room.

A voice chanted loudly in a language she had hoped to never hear again, "Azarath, Medrion, Zinthos!" The venerable speaker was clad in loose black robes, crouched with his palms together. A wall of air rushed toward Raven and shattered the building on which she stood. Raven went flying, but caught herself in cushioning veils of ebon power. She saw a quartet of grey knights closing with her and the black-robed monk gathering his energy again. She focused in preparation for the coming rush, her aura flaring and cloak writhing faintly. When the daemonhunters charged, she acted on instinct, deflecting strikes with her forearms wrapped in ebony power. As she fought, she reflected on the course of events that had brought her to this fight.

Raven's azule eyes skimmed over the massive tome perched on her crossed legs. The grey-skinned half-daemon read in quiet isolation ensconced in Dr. Fate's library. This solitude was broken as Inza entered the chamber. She smirked thinly when she spotted Raven, "Still studying? Raven, when we suggested you make time here to familiarize yourself with Earth, we didn't mean all the time." Raven merely frowned in response and turned the page.

Inza was undaunted, "In some ways you're the easiest guest my husband has invited here. You read. You sleep. You eat as little as I let you get away with. You meditate as much as possible… I'd swear I'm living with a hermit instead of a teenage girl."

Raven looked up, her eyes flashing with irritation and inquired calmly, "Would it be rude of me to ask you to get to the point?"

Inza archly commented, "It speaks! If you insist on being so curt, then I do have a point. Mind if I sit down?" Raven shrugged. The older woman sat down and leaned forward, chin resting in her palm. Her blue eyes locked on Raven, "You're not happy here, Raven. I can tell." Raven gazed back, her face a model of frozen serenity, "I am content." "Content isn't happy. Content is survival and there's a difference between survival and living," Inza replied. Raven narrowed her eyes, "What do you expect? I'm banished from my home. I killed the one person who ever respected me with my own hands. My father wants to use me to enter this world and kill untold numbers of people. Tell me what I should be happy about."

Inza frowned, "O.K. You have had some really bad things happen to you and you have my sympathy. But, the key to emotional healing is healing. You haven't been doing that."

Raven scowled as Inza continued, "You've been repressing it, hiding the pain away, and someday that will come back to bite you." Inza paused and ran her fingers over her wrist before turning back to Raven.

Raven cut in, "I'm doing the best I can. How would you do it? How would you magically make me happy?"

The older woman was deadly serious, "Nothing magical about it. Meet people. Hang out with others your own age. Just live. If you live in the present, the past will eventually loose its power to hurt you."

The dark mystic rolled her eyes and black lightening sparked along her limbs, "Yeah. That'll be easy. Plenty of groups will accept an outcast half-daemon as a member. I'm swamped with choices…"

Inza recovered some of her cheer, "Sarcasm. At least that's something. You didn't do that when you first got here. It was 'Ms. Inza this' and 'Ms. Inza that'."

Raven shook her head in annoyance at the non sequitur, "Thank you very much for the information. May I go back to my reading now?"

Inza nodded her ruefully, "Now you're acting like a child. I'll admit your options are limited. Humans are judgmental everywhere, but don't think they're all as bad as the Azarathians. Some people will accept you. Kent is too compassionate to press you, but if you want to be happy you'll have to leave this place."

"I intend to," Raven responded icily.

"And you'd likely end up in a monastery of some sort," chided Inza, "which doesn't solve your problem. Your father, not you, did something horrific in Azarath and you're letting your guilt and fear control you. Don't deny it. You need help and we can't help you here. It's not that we haven't enjoyed your presence here. As I said, you're one of the easiest guests we've ever had. But for you, this tower is a cocoon. No one can live in a cocoon. Kent and I help damaged beings find themselves. You know who you are. You just need to be able to live with that person. That requires other people." Raven's face had cooled until and an empty calm had dominated her features.

The dark mystic played with the hem of her cloak and looked down. Inza shook her long black hair and sighed, "Look. You're welcome to stay as long as you want. But when you're ready to move on with your life, Kent can help you find people you can stay with who will accept you. He knows everyone." Raven grunted acknowledgement.

Inza issued a parting comment as she paused in the doorway, "This wasn't the actual purpose of my talk with you. Kent sent me to tell you to come to the scrying chamber. He's found something that concerns you." Raven nodded acknowledgement and restored the book to its resting place before departing, a troubled glimmer in the depths of her eyes, a breech of her otherwise calm facade.

Kent Nelson was waiting for Raven in the scrying chamber, clad in his Doctor Fate regalia. Raven looked up questioningly at the towering sorcerer-lord and whispered, "You sent for me?"

Doctor Fate scanned his grey eyes over Raven's cloak-draped frame, shaking his head at something before responding, "Yes, I did. Visitors have come to this world from the other side of the Veil. They observed the normal protocols and thus would normally not bother me, entirely routine. However, they came from Azarath and that makes them a concern for you…" Fate gestured and a viewing sphere bloomed into existence between the two. It showed a darkened chamber, crowded with books and moldering relics. The room was in shambles and a quartet of armored figures held a battered old man to the ground with glowing halberds as a black-robed monk levitated in the background, a chant pouring from his lips.

One of the armed figures hissed at the old man, "You will surrender knowledge regarding the Betrayer Raven Roth to us… We have been dispatched to find and execute her. All those who do not aid us will be slain as befits those who would shelter a daemon spawn…" Raven's eyes widened slightly as she took in the image, her mouth tightening in concern.

The old man stammered, "I don't know who… who… you are talking about. I have done nothing to invite this attack. I obey the Illuminati Convent. This attack is undeserved. Please release me."

Fate calmly observed the dark mystic as she breathed, "Grey Knights…"

The leader of the warriors intoned, "We are not bound by your convent. We are servants of the Glorious One and your 'store' reeks of daemonic essence, a mark that you have invited the children of the Abyss within your walls. All who aid the daemon shall share its fate. I execute you and pray that your soul is granted mercy by the Grey Reaper, for we cannot spare you and remain true to our creed." The old man screamed as the blades pumped in and out of his flesh, the Grey Knights methodical in their purpose as they dismembered him.

The monk frowned at the bloodshed and intoned, "She is not here. I have found another nexus of magical energy. Let us depart." The warriors nodded in obedience and the scene was flooded with light as the group vanished.

Doctor Fate waved away the sphere and gravely asked, "I take it that you know these visitors?"

Raven shook her head to collect herself before answering Fate's question, "Yes. They are Grey Knights. Holy Hunter-Killers dispatched to slay traitors to the Azarathian faith. They are relentless…"

The helmed sorcerer-lord said, "I have seen enough evidence of that. This is the eighth victim they have slain, more than enough for me to order them to depart my protectorate. If they are here to kill you, I have all the more reason to banish them."

Fate went to cast another spell, but Raven replied, "No. Don't. They're here for me. If they don't find me they will come back and more people will be killed."

Fate tilted his head, "If you confront them though, it's likely that you'll be killed, isn't it?"

Raven nodded tightly, "Yes. They haven't failed in ten thousand years, but it's my problem. I have to handle it. I can't hide here…"

"I disapprove of this disregard for your own life, but it is not my place to stop you. I will send you to their current location and be watching in case you want me to intervene… All you have to do is ask."

Raven whispered, "Thank you." Fate gave the half-daemon a long look and gestured. She vanished in a flash of golden light, sent directly to those who would kill her for her actions in Azarath. Fate recreated the viewing sphere and settled into a chair to watch the confrontation, disquiet lingering in his softly-glowing eyes.

Raven snapped out of her flashback as a blade carved a rip through her upper arm. She grunted and drove a black-glowing palm into the attacker's chest and sent him stumbling backwards, chest plate dented inward by the strike. The butt end of a halberd struck her from behind and drove her to her knees. She spotted a blade arching for her head and summoned an invisible fist to halt the blade. The Grey Knight let go of the weapon and backed off as did his companions.

Raven was confused by the withdrawal until she picked up the sound of chanting again, "…Medrion Zinthos!" A wall of air drove her backwards and pinned her against a concrete barrier, the stream of force driving dust into her eyes. The monk sweated from the effort of keeping up the pressure. Raven vanished with a dark flash and staggered as she misjudged her teleport, appearing three feet in the air before dropping painfully to the ground. The grey knights closed again, weapons at ready.

Raven battered one Knight backwards in a surge of roiling, dark energy. Another braced himself against a follow up strike and allowed the ravening blast to roll off his armor and around him. The remaining pair darted in and swung with both of their weapons, one high, one low. The dark mystic pumped up a shield, but the blades carved through it like butter. A pair of wounds opened on her torso. Her upper back bled into her cloak. A cut on her stomach leaked ichor onto her under-robe. Raven blinked at the shock and lashed out with a storm of power that threw the off-balance Grey Knights backwards. She crumbled inwards, tattered cloak covering her like a shroud. The Grey Knights cautiously circled her, weapons held at the defensive. Most bore some kind of wound, and another winced with every step he took on a leg that was shattered under his platemail. Raven didn't move, her mind and body exhausted by the ordeal. The leader gestured to the monk and another blast of might caught her body and flung her through the air. At the half-daemon's lack of response, the Grey Knights closed with their prey, weapons ready to stab downwards.

Raven panted with pain and thought, "They'll kill me now. It will be over. My father will be stopped by my death…" Her brain froze as the world slowed, the steady footfalls of the Grey Knights dragging out exponentially.

A deep voice rumbled, "Are you going to let them kill you, daughter?"

Raven calmly replied, "Yes. If I'm dead, you're trapped in the Abyss and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

Trigon intoned, "I will admit that your death would be most disruptive, but I have forever. I merely have to breed another scion and begin anew…"

Raven mentally blinked, "No. This will stop you. My death will stop you."

"Think what you want, child. You're taking the easy way out. Death would be your freedom, your release. Have you earned that privilege?"

Raven mentally hissed, "I hate you, Father… I hate myself for allowing you to control me."

Trigon chuckled, "I know, child. I know. And for that reason, you will get up, you will fight. You would not give me the satisfaction of seeing you die so easily."

The world began to speed up again and tears dripped down Raven's cheeks as she growled, "Curse you to the Nine Hells of the Abyss."

Trigon was amused, "Those happen to be my Hells, but that's a good sign. Anger is power. Get up or die."

Raven was silent and Trigon continued, "How does dying help you to defeat Me and make up for my 'legacy of eternal darkness'? You can kill these fools with ease. Tap my power so that you live to fight another day." The Grey Knights drew closer and their blades went up.

The dark mystic answered, "No. I won't. I won't kill these men for you. It is wrong according to every law Azar taught me."

"These very same laws would condemn you to death. I won't allow you throw away your potential…" Trigon slammed an ethereal fist through the shards of her mental defenses, intent on grabbing the root of her mind and driving her into combat.

The Grey Knights drew closer to her body and prepared to stab downward as she mouthed, "No… I will not let youdo this. Not again…"

Raven directed desperate streamers of thought to restrain Trigon's mental probe, but they snapped under the incredible pressure he applied to his scion's mind. The fist went to close on the core of her soul, but something held it back, an outside presence that glowed with the light of ten thousand suns. The daemon lord growled as his probe shredded under this new attack.

A calm voice echoed through Raven's mind, "By the Law of the Phoenix King, the Faithful shall be protected from the Infernal and this Initiate has proven herself pure in heart and mind. You shall not have her."

Raven's mind trembled and Trigon growled thunderously, "She is mine."

The voice continued and Raven listened to it in quiet awe, "She is yours by blood and your taint runs through her soul, but faith is born of hardship and purity best when distilled from corruption. Be gone, daemon. You cannot have her." Trigon was driven from her mind by a surge of scathing light. Raven felt herself slipping into darkness, but the calm voice grabbed her mind and drew her back to the conscious world as the Grey Knights halted at a silent command from the monk.

The dark mystic opened her eyes and recoiled slightly from the quartet of armored figures that gazed down at her in quiet contempt, weapons secured to their backs. She lay on the ground, her wounds having disappeared mysteriously. She looked up at the Grey Knights, "Why am I alive? Death is the sentence for murder and blasphemy on holy ground."

The calm voice she had heard in her head now issued from a ebon-robed figure walking out of the fading clouds of dust, "You yet live as a result of my intervention. Your death may not be necessary in light of what I have observed here. The Grey Knights are trained in the art of holy combat, but they are guided by the wisdom and insight of the monks." The black-robed monk halted few feet from her, the very picture of venerable authority. Raven tensed as she recognized the figure as the monk who had been hurling energy at her a few minutes before.

The monk continued, "I can see deeper than most and I saw your struggle with He Who We Keep Bound in Shadow and your decision to avoid doing harm in favor of accepting your own death. In that, you validated Azar's trust in you."

Raven steeled her face, "I killed her. I killed so many of them."

The Grey Knights stiffened at this statement and the monk waved them back to restfulness, "But it was not your choice. That difference means the sentence of death can be changed to another more appropriate to your crime of failure, a sentence that allows you to make up for your sin in service."

Raven knew Azarathian law and murmured, "Exile and excommunication."

The black-robed elder merely nodded in return and began the formal rite. The warriors behind Raven withdrew to allow the pair room. Raven rose to her feet, face calm and eyes flat as he began, "Initiate Raven Roth, you are cast from the Light of the Phoenix King and sent into Void. You are banished from His realms and your Soul is banished from His Heavens for your Weakness. All duty owed to you by the Temple is rendered unto nothing. All duty owed to the Temple by you will not be accepted, for you are as nothing in our eyes, a Void in the Phoenix King's gaze. As He does not see you, we do not see you."

Raven internally flinched as the Grey Knights echoed the refrain, "We are blind to the presence of the Exile. We ignore that which is not touched by His sight."

The monk continued, "There is no resource but Faith and you are destitute in a land of Plenty. You are wretched and unworthy. I dismiss you from our midst. If you speak His name after this day, He will rend your Soul from your Flesh as He would do unto the Foulest Spawn of Darkness."

The warriors recited, "For the Unannointed may not speak the Holy Name, unworthy of even the smallest act of Faith."

The monk closed the rite with the final, grim words, "You are an Outsider, Flesh, Body, and Soul. With a Kiss, I remove you from us and Him."

The monk stepped forward and kissed her on the chakra. The black-clad figure whispered into her mind, "Giving you your life is all I can do and even then I overstep my authority. The High-Priestess saw potential in you. Don't waste it or I will have sullied my faith for nothing. Good-bye." He stepped back and turned away from the motionless half-daemon as she absorbed what he had just said. The Grey Knights did the same, breaking formation to go around her in such a way as to not look at her. Raven was frozen in place, thoughts whirling through her head in the grip of an emotional hurricane. There was chanting, a flash of light, and the Azarathians were gone. She knew they would not be back for her, not ever. Azarath was done with her and she was done with Azarath.

A tear bled from her eye and meandered down her cheek. More followed: a glistening flood that cut through the dust caked on her cheeks. Sparks of black lightning lashed in all directions as she grieved the loss of everything she had ever known, the ritual of excommunication irrevocable and eternal. The storm flared, forcing Raven to her knees as she chanted catechisms of self-control under her breath. Her hands shook as she brought her hood up and forced herself into seeming calm. The area was empty, a cold breeze whistling through the shattered buildings that littered the street. A golden light flashed behind the half-daemon and Doctor Fate appeared on the street. Golden cloak snapping in the breeze, he surveyed the scene and shook his head.

Raven rose and flatly stated, "They're gone. They won't be back. I'm not important anymore." She turned to face the sorcerer-lord and her emotionless mask was as frail as glass, a storm of grief ready to explode out of control thrumming through her form. Fate gazed at his guest, grey eyes consumed with sympathy.

He walked toward her and stated, "I heard everything. You survived; a first in my experience with Azarathians. You may be exiled, but you are not dead."

Raven whispered, "The ritual changed nothing, I was banished from Azarath the moment I killed Azar. The ritual is just words…" A tremble in her eyes betrayed her certainty.

Fate replied, "But words have power, especially to those who have lived by law and faith. I won't judge you, Raven. It's not my job to judge the innocent, merely help them. Let me help you before this wound scars." The dark mystic looked up at Fate in confusion.

Duty and weakness fought in her eyes as she asked, "Why do you care? I'm not human. I'm a half-daemon murderess and exile."

Fate stepped forward and forced the slight girl to his chest, "Stop thinking. You are alive and therefore, worthy of mercy. I help people. Let me help you. And stop judging yourself for once." The words were enough to drown her embryonic anger. The stress of her ordeal came piling down on her self-control and shattered it in an instant, prompting her into an open crying jag. Black energy cut into Fate's body painfully, yet he bore it without comment as thin wailing and choking sobs emerged from the blue-cloaked bundle clinging to his chest.

Eventually, the tears trickled to a stop and silence rose as Raven extricated herself from the sorcerer-lord's grip. She sniffed once as she primly readjusted her cloak. Fate shrugged his cape closed, hiding the long streak of snot and tears that stained the front of his uniform.

Raven looked up at him with azule eyes, "Thank you. I know that I hurt you with my powers when I lost control."

Fate merely tilted his head, "I do what is needed to comfort and heal. It is my calling."

Raven looked away, acutely uncomfortable as he continued, "It would be best if we returned to the tower before the authorities arrive. Unless you would prefer to linger here…" The dark mystic frowned as she looked around the gathering dusk.

She felt better, but there was something that she needed to bring up before she forgot, "I don't think I should continue to live in your home. You have been a gracious host, but I need to move on. If I can loose Azarath and survive, I can survive leaving your home."

Fate nodded gravely, "If that is how you feel, do you have an idea where you want to go?"

Raven mused, "No. But Inza said you know people who would accept a temperamental, half-daemon teenager into their group…"

Fate shook his head ruefully, grey eyes lit up with momentary pleasure, "That's true. There's one in particular you that should fit your tendencies. But those details can wait. You must be tired and we can talk in the morning."

Fate gestured and a golden portal snapped into being. Raven paused before stepping into the rift, "Can I ask what this group is called?"

Fate replied, "The name is up to change at this point, but their leader seems to favor something along the lines of The Teen Titans…" The portal snapped shut as the sun stained everything violet.

So you made it. What did you think? Good? Bad? Heavy-handed melodrama? If you see fit, leave a review, and tell me what you think. This is it, the closing chapter of my 'pre-Teen Titans' Raven trilogy and I certainly took my time about it. I shouldn't write series, not at my rate of updating… In any event, have a nice day and thank you for your time.


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